Falling
by LiveLifeUp
Summary: Anna is one of the 60% of the world population; average to the core. All she asks from life is simplicity yet the universe decided that there is another plan for her future. Is it for the better or worse when she wakes up one day to find herself in a very familiar flat that she never dream of entering? Sherlock/OC
1. Disclaimer

**DISCLAIMER**

This story and characters belongs to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Steven Moffat for the modern spin off.

I have only lay claim on the OC, Miss Annalise Yuri Kurosaki.

ENJOY!


	2. Chapter 1: Reaching 221B

Hi everyone! This is my first attempt at Sherlock so please do send in some review! I hope you like it!

**Chapter 1: Reaching 221B**

You know how you fall on to your bed feeling like you can just die in your sleep out of exhaustion? I think it was around 3 in the afternoon when I finally reached the safety confinement of my home feeling like I have lost control of my whole body. For the past year, I have been working on my research and sleep has been a luxury for me since three months ago. It didn't help that I was awake for 40 hours and have not taken a proper dinner, breakfast and lunch. I submitted my research this morning and was hoping to go home and reward myself with some sleep when I got a call from work and got called in for an emergency.

Before I dropped dead on my bed, I called mom to apologize for not being able to make dinner tonight and replied a message on the group chat room to confirm my attendance for a celebration dinner with my friends and supervisor tomorrow night. I checked on my sister who was studying in her room and kissed her goodnight (at least for me) and then dragged myself into the room. After a comfortable shower and changing into my pyjamas, I crawled under my sheet and shut my eyes with a smile decorating my face; even with the burnout everything turned out fine. I closed my eyes and dreamt of tomorrow, the day after and all the days that would come not knowing that it will only remain as dreams.

I opened my eyes to find myself in the middle of a green field filled with flower; there was little yellow ones, purple one and even blue ones! Well, considering I did fell asleep I guess I am in my dreamland. I took quick glances at my surrounding and the field is surrounded with hills and blue sky. I feel this blissfulness and content that I have not felt before for a very long time. I walked around the field and noted I'm bare-footed but the feeling of soil on my feet was nice.

"Dear!" I heard a voice calling at me and recognize who it was; mom!

"Coming!" I called back and walked to the source of the voice, the woods. Then more voices of people I knew beckoned me nearer into the woods; I followed and attempted to search for them. However, the deeper I got into the woods, the harder it is for me to see. Suddenly, I felt like my eyes can't concentrate, things got blurry and I'm having a hard time balancing on two legs. I fell eventually on my fours but it didn't stop me from trying to stand up and walk again.

I just got back onto both my feet when voices of laughter resounded in the woods. It was a man, laughing at something… a voice very familiar… he's laughing at me… then it clicked! I could feel the blood draining from my face. I forced myself to stand up and ran as fast as I could with this pair of heavy legs. I have to get out! I can't let him trap me into the maze and pull me down again! I kept running and running until I saw a flicker of light. I ran towards it and suddenly, I just fell into the water and starting to drown. Now, I reacted like how every normal person reacted when they were drowning; flail your arms and try swimming upwards. Unfortunately, my limbs decided to fail me; I wonder if it was the water that did it? That aside, I began to suffocate and I realized that I need to get out of my dreams.

Sherlock could handle a lot of different situations effectively through observing and rationalizing. He used scientific methods to process collected facts and come into a proper conclusion which most of the time is accurate to the dot. Even so, when he came into his room that morning to find a girl sleeping on his bed, he asked himself, _"How did I not notice it?!"_

The first thing of course is get John who was at the next room. He barged into his flatmate's room, dragged him out of bed and shoved him into his room.

"Sherlock! What the hell… what the hell is this?!" John went from pissed to frustration to utter confusion and perhaps a little exasperation.

"Shut up! I don't know! I came into my room this morning and I saw this!" said Sherlock gesturing at the lump on his bed with not so quiet whisper.

They were about to go into a banter when the girl in concern started thrashing slightly on the bed. Beads of sweat started to form on her forehead and she looked like she was going to suffocate. The men quickly went to her and tried to wake her up.

I felt a pair of hands on my harms hauling me up out of the sudden, "Thank you Sandman for waking me up!" I did not know when did I close my eyes but when I was trying to open it, I could breathe again and that was a really big relief, for now.

She opened her eyes and was beginning to breathe normally again but her eyes were unfocused and she was still very pale. Sherlock did not stop shaking her up while John kept telling Sherlock to be a little gentler.

My eyelids were finally able to lift it up. The sight was at first blurry but it got better when I tried to focus my eyes on something; or more specifically, two faces right above my face. It wasn't my mom's or my sisters' but two men who looked like a clone of people I knew of. Of course, my first reaction to seeing two strangers in my bed over my face was scream, pushed them away, get out of the bed and run. I managed to get the steps right, until in my attempt to get out of the bed, I got tangled in the sheets, tripped and fell off the bed.

She looked like a deer caught by the headlights when her eyes finally refocused. She screamed, pushed us off and tripped out of the bed. John quickly ran to her side to help her up but was stopped when she yelled, "Stay right there before I put a full-stop on your Father's Day." It took us a while to comprehend the threat but all the more, it did stop John from getting near her. Well, I slumped onto my bed and John was kneeling down on the floor about a foot away from the girl.

Her thoughts were chaotic right now at the sight that greeted her when she woke up from a nightmare. BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH AND MARTIN FREEMAN! She observed a little more notice that they are dressed like Sherlock and John in BBC's Sherlock. Even the room looked the same!

She backed up against the wall and rubbed her temples with her fingers to ease the headache. She closed her eyes and started talking to herself, "Alright Annalise, calm down. Calm down, Annalise."

Sherlock and John remained stationary and watched carefully at the girl. She started to control her breathing to calm herself down. It didn't take more than 10 seconds when she went back to self-talking, "Alright now, this is just a dream. When you count down to one, you will wake up from this dream and go back to your real life."

She counted down from 5 and when she opened her eyes after 1, she could see two blurry silhouettes in front of her.

"Okay, not working. Let's try something more." She took a deep breath and smiled at them, "Hi, Mr Holmes and Dr Watson. Lovely to see you here but you're fictional characters written by a now dead and ancient man who then got adopted into a British tv series. As much as I would love to ask you to stay, I really need to wake up and get on with my life. So please leave my measly mind alone and haunt someone else, can you?"

"John, get Mycroft and Lestrade. Only Lestrade please," commanded Sherlock. She was about to protest when Sherlock pointed at her, "You, stay there and don't move an inch. If you know me, you'll know what my threats are like."

She slumped back down on the floor with sheets still tangled on her feet. "Oh God, not more of them," she said with the tone of a final defeat.

15 minutes later, Mycroft arrived with Lestrade not long after. All five of them are now seated at the common room; four pairs of eyes on one lost girl who has the expression of a lunatic in making. To her, this was like she was at the set of the BBC series with the actors acting the part itself!

"Someone care to explain?" asked Mycroft who looked exactly like Mark Gatiss. 

"I found her in my room sleeping this morning. When she woke up, she went into a short period of hysteria and claimed that John and I are fictional characters in books and telly."

"Delusional," concluded Mycroft.

"You're missing the point! How did she get into my flat?!" asked Sherlock at no one in particular.

The girl still sat with her legs pulled up, hands tucked between her folder legs, eyes wide but distant and no other facial expression but as if she was having an internal battle inside her mind.

After John made the phone calls, got Mrs Hudson to make a cuppa for the girl and 'borrowed' one of Sherlock's jacket for her to put on. Of course Sherlock put up a fuss but was quickly dismissed by John when the latter explained the differences in size; the girl is slightly a bit taller than John.

"She could have climbed in without any one of you noticing," suggested Lestrade (or you can say the astral drop of Rupert Graves).

"Impossible. Look at her feet; she was bare-footed and if she did walk here, her feet should be dirty and frost-bitten not speckled clean like this! She is in her pyjamas; grey baggy t-shirt and grey cotton sweat pants do not do well with the weather outdoor, especially at night. So how did she come here without getting her feet dirty and wounded? There's no sign of abandoned shoes around the house; no rubbish truck came this morning. She couldn't be transported her by flying means as I would be able to hear it. It could be that someone knocked her unconscious carried her hear and dropped her off but there are no signs of anything other than sleeping!"

Sherlock was pacing around the room as he pointed out the possibilities.

It was quiet for a while before she finally spoke up with a calm and firm voice, "I was sleeping and I was dreaming about green field and foggy woods. Then I drowned and woke up to this. There are four possibilities to this whole situation. First, I indeed finally got insane and achieved the highest level of schizophrenia. Second, I am still dreaming. Third, I somehow ended up in an alternate universe or parallel world where all of you existed as real people. Fourth, this is some elaborated conspiracy for God knows what reason…. Oh wait, one more. Fifth, my perceived real life is not real but merely my mind's working. This could be the true reality but Mr Holmes' deduction obviously rejected this idea because then there's definitely a logic explanation how I got here. So that leaves only the possibility of me exiting one delusion to another hence I am still schizophrenic… rule this out. I've been through the DSM, this is not schizophrenia and I can be very sure that this is, for the lack of better word, real."

She paused for a while before speaking again, "First one is ruled out since I knew very well the signs of schizophrenia so does my friends. I would be in the asylum on the process of recovering or at least not so much of a schizophrenic. The second is also false," she took out her right hand and showed the four of them her palms. There were four red crescents glaring at them and blood was on her nails.

"Oh my God, I'll get the first aid," said John running towards the kitchen.

"It's pain that I feel so I'm not dreaming," she said and continued monotonously, "Forth is also ruled out as I am sure that I am no importance at all in the matter of any national security that needed such elaborated deception."

"That leaves us with the third," said Sherlock. During the entire time, he observed every single movement of the girl he found this morning. From complete panic, she went to stoic, went through the whole thought process of elimination and listened to his deduction in such duress was… impressive as Sherlock has to admit begrudgingly. Obsidian short black hair, crop cut with her fringe slightly longer parted to the right side. Estimated height, 5"7 and curvy but suited her height. Big eyes, moderately high and big nose, full lips and oval face. Asian, based on her facial features, skin colour and accent. She's slightly tanned, so must be summer when she 'dropped' here but barely involved in outdoors activities.

"That's easy. Give me your full name and I'll run a search," said Mycroft taking out his phone. For the first time since they sat in the common room, she looked up and squinted at Mycroft. She looked like she was gauging if Mycroft were trustworthy while the older man stared back at her with equal intensity. Sherlock noted how her irises changed from dull grey to the colour of a stormy tempest and also realized that she needed a pair of glasses.

"Annalise Yuri Kurosaki, or the other way round depending on the Japanese or the English way of speaking," she answered curtly. Mycroft noted her name, took a picture of her and excused himself to make the urgent call. Sherlock stormed off to his room and started rummaging.

"I'll check for missing person," said Lestrade walking away to make a call to Scotland Yard.

"He could have asked first before snapping the picture," commented Anna. John then came back with the first aid kit and asked her to give him her hand.

"I'll do it on my own, thank you."

"It would be easier if you let me do it," said John kneeling beside the girl.

"Please," she said looking at John with the same dull-grey eyes. John finally gave in and passed her the tweezers and cotton. She took it with her left hand and thanked John. She dabbed some antiseptic and proceeded to clean the wounds with her hands close to her face. Sherlock could tell that she was trying to keep calm and let her rational mind do the work; the fact that it was the right hand that needed the treatment instead of her dominant hand showed that her thoughts were coherent. However her pale face, tensed shoulder and shaking hands betrayed the façade she wore. She bit back a hiss as she was cleaning and carefully she wrapped her hand with the bandages. She accepted John's assistance politely without much fuss when she needed to clip the bandage to hold it in place. When she was done, Sherlock tossed a magnifying glass at her, "This is as far as I can help with your sight," he said coldly.

"Thank you," she said looking at him a little longer.

Mycroft and Lestrade came back in the same time.

"No matches," said Lestrade.

"No records of the name or the face at all," added Mycroft.

"So I don't exist in this world at all," she whispered more towards herself. Her left hand covered her face as she took deep breathes while the other, all four of the men noticed was clenched tightly.

"Ms Kurosaki, I need your DNA to gather more information and if possible, you provide us with information about yourself," said Mycroft.

She put down her hand and unclenched the other. She stood up and held her heads high while looking at Mycroft straight in the eye, "I know who you are Mr Holmes, the elder. How can I trust you with such personal details when you could use it for malicious purposes?"

"I give you my words."

"Under the dignity of your nation and high ruler?" pressed Anna.

"I put the good name of my nation to this." Sherlock smirked at the way she manipulated her brother. She knew that the country and its name mattered more than anything to Mycroft. Being a prideful creature as all Holmes are, Mycroft will never break this promise. Seconds later, a blonde woman with two men holding a kit came up and took her blood sample. Other than that, she also took her measurement which Anna assumed to help with the investigation. Then another man came and did some scanning of her eyes. She was puzzled but complied obediently in order not to give more trouble to these people who has been helpful, at least as helpful as their reputation can get, since she woke. When they were done, she walked towards the window looking up. The rest of them sat and waited for her to speak.

"I'm Annalise Yuri Kurosaki, Anna for short, born in England and raised in Japan. My dad, Jun Kurosaki is Japanese as you can deduce from my family name and my mom is Eleanor Brown, British. I'm 25 this year currently pursuing my Ph.D after three years or working with the police force as an assistant to a forensics psychologist. My dad passed away 11 years ago, murdered. My mom was a housewife, now a clerk, and I have a younger sister, 11, Beatrice Yui Kurosaki currently in elementary school. I'm an average citizen in Japan and have not much of distant relatives as they are either dead or estranged. I have friends and colleagues, no previous criminal records and not engaged in any discouraging habits or activities."

'Engagement to significant other?" asked Lestrade writing things down.

"Non-existent," she answered turning back to them.

"Wait… the math… your father passed away…"

"Yeah, he died when my mom was pregnant with my youngest sister."

"Alright, we'll work with this information first. As to the arrangement of your living…"

"She's staying with us," cut in Sherlock. Everyone in the room was surprised by his decision.

"Sherlock, it would be best if she comes with me," said Mycroft standing up.

"Of so many beds in this world, she decided to drop in on mine. Isn't it a good enough sign as to where she should be staying for now?" retorted Sherlock.

"We have a safe house…" added Lestrade into the… discussion. Soon all four men launch into childish argument of her living arrangement; they are all curious about this girl who dropped out of thin air.

I tried to be as calm as I could in assessing this whole situation and coming up possible solution to this mess. However, the headache was getting to me and the loud voices of these four supposedly grown and sophisticated men did not help at all. I walked closer to them, "Boys," I said at first gently which or course was completely ignored. "Boys," I tried again but failed. I sighed and muttered, "Some things never change."

I clear my throat a little and called, "Boys!" with a low and louder growl. That got their attention. I certainly find their expression amusing; the strange girl appeared from nowhere who spoke quietly and looked so scared finally growled at them like some hungry lioness. I smiled at the hilarity of the situation and spoke, "Mr Holmes, the younger and Dr Watson, can I stay here for a few days while I hunt for a flat to settle in and a job to pay the rent? Mr Holmes, the elder and Mr Lestrade, thank you for the offer but it would be the best if I stick to the place where I first appear in case whatever brought me here came back to return me where I originally belong."

All of them gave a form of agreement except for Sherlock who just went back to his chair. When Mycroft was about to leave, I pulled him back a little but quickly let go when he looked at my hands on his arm uncomfortably, "Sorry. Mr Holmes, does the name Torchwood, Jack Harkness, Doctor, Rose Tyler, Martha Jones, Donna Noble, Amelia Pond or even River Song ring any bell?"

He looked down at me (since I am shorter than he is) raising an eyebrow. "I thought so," I replied disappointedly.

"Who are they?" he asked much to my surprise.

"Promise not to laugh?" I would really sound stupid if I told him. He nodded.

I rubbed my neck sheepishly and said, "They are other fictional characters from a different series but the same producer." I looked up at him and saw that he was trying very hard not hold back that twitch at the corner of his lips. I chuckled lightly, "I know, stupid am I?"

"You're really desperate to get back, aren't you?" asked John. I knew they were eaves-dropping!

"Yeah… they need me," I said suddenly finding the carpet interesting.

"We'll try our best," Mycroft said assuring as he placed a hand on my shoulder and squeezed lightly. Wow, was he being… warm? That is new. "Meanwhile, we'll help you establish an identity. Judging from the way you dress, you might find packages deliver to you later useful. No objections Ms Kurosaki." His tone had clearly told me that it is final and there is no use of me to decline his offer. I thanked him and see him off from the flat's door.

"We'll keep investigating," said Lestrade patting my shoulder before he left. I nodded and thanked him.

When my attention was turned back to Sherlock and John, Sherlock was just finished texting.

"Breakfast anyone?" asked John.

"I'll do it since I did recall that you have work to go for" I offered. John's eyes darted to the clock and went, "Oh my God! Thanks Anna!" and he dashed into his room. I laughed to myself and looked at Sherlock, "Are you on a case?"

"Yes, you," he answered scrolling at the laptop.

"I'm not a case Mr Holmes," I said walking into the kitchen to see what I can work with, "maybe an anomaly that you would like to study but let's establish the fact that you will not see me as a lab rat or the scientific experiments…" but I was cut short when I opened the fridge and slammed it shut a second later.

"You put it in there, right?" I asked feeling the erratic heart beat at my chest and slightly hyperventilating.

"Yes," he answered looking at me.

"Good," I commented and added later when he gave me a funny look, "I meant that it proves that this is not some planting murder on Sherlock Holmes situation, yeah."

I did not wait for his reply but turn back to the fridge, braced myself and opened it. I look at the frozen brain and greeted, "Hi." I picked up the ingredients I need and head to the stove; scrambled eggs, toast and sausage. I think it's good enough to start the day.


	3. Chapter 2: Finding my way home

**A/N: **Thank you bored411, AnimeAnime24, kylynnjenn for your support!

**Chapter 2: Finding my way home**

Sherlock's eyes followed her inconspicuously as she shuffled her way in the kitchen as if she belonged there from the very beginning. He took note of the way she walks around, her posture and stance. She confuses him very much with her unpredictable behaviour; for someone who had a blank face just now, she definitely has a lot of expression when she thought no one was watching. From distant, she started to open up to them. From the moment she woke up until now, all she had been doing was keeping calm and rationalize; not a single drop of tears was shed.

And that reaction to the brain! She greeted that brain! Sherlock saw when she discovered the tongues he hid for an experiment; she was shocked, he can tell but she did not make any fuss except, "Why am I not surprised?" Every time she wants to open a cabinet, she would do it slowly and peak in first to see if there are other shocking findings. She was also carefully avoiding the table which Sherlock turned it into a lab table. She placed the food at the counter as she cooked.

When John was out, she was done with the food and currently making tea. "Mr Holmes, black with 2 sugar?"

"Yes."

"Dr Watson, black with no sugar."

"Yes please!"

"How did you know?"

"Both of you are… or were fictional characters in my world. I like the tv adaptation a lot and there was a lot about both you and Mr Holmes and the rest." Sherlock caught that little bit of the conversation and make a note to ask about it later.

She placed John's plate and coffee at the table near his couch and Sherlock's beside him. John sat down and dug into his breakfast immediately, "This is way better than the ones at the café!"

She laughed, "Thank you but I think the credit goes to the coffee beans."

When she saw Sherlock only drinking coffee she said, "Eat a little Mr Holmes."

"Eating will only slower down my brain."

"But you have no case now. When was the last time you ate?"

"Yesterday morning," answered John which caused him a glare for the other man.

"Your brain would not be able to function either if your stomach keep giving those distractive noises and do not have enough energy to process the information. At least get the eggs, would you?" Sherlock begrudgingly picked up the fork and started eating. John looked at the exchanged and was impressed that she got him to eat something.

Anna sat at one of the chairs with a cup of tea when John realized that she was only holding a cup of tea, "You're not eating?"

"I ate a slice of toast."

"Only?"

"Too much of excitement for a morning. I'll try to stomach more later," she answered with a small smile.

"Okay," John said before leaving for work leaving Sherlock and Anna alone in the flat. Sherlock was long done with the breakfast. Anna went to pick the plate up to find the lonely sausage. Knowing that the man who was so kind to take her in is well fed, her heart took a spin feeling happiness in the pit of her stomach. She cling-wrapped the plate and put it into the fridge before washing the dishes piled up on the sink. When she was done, she looked around the house to see if there's anything that she could do. Not sure if they would like her meddling with their things, Anna sat on the settee and observed the room. Her eyes however were drawn particularly to the shelves of books.

"Your short-sightedness was not that bad after all," said Sherlock out of the blue.

"Huh?"

"You can manoeuvre around without much difficulty but it is hard for you to get clear pictures of the things around you without your glasses. You frequently wear shoes with half-inch heel, usually boot or more specifically combat boots. I also know that you take up Japanese martial arts most likely since young other than the basic information you gave just now. You're left-handed, do a lot of writing and you handled guns other than the usual typing. You do go outdoor but not for a long period. You lead a relatively stressful life but you love it. Also, you carry the burden of the family after the death of your father. However, you do feel insecure in new environment and with strangers. "

"How?" asked Theresa, feeling a little excited. She had seen it on tv but seeing it with her own eyes is an entirely different feeling. Sherlock smirked and was rather glad that she asked, "The way you move around and stood showed you have certain amount of training with flexibility and stability in your footwork. I noticed the way you pushed John and I off just now was familiar with the martial arts aikido; the marks on both your hands are similar those of senior kendo practitioner. The bump on the middle finger of your left-hand could only be form by a lot of writing; the marks left-hand also indicated that you use or at least trained to use guns. You're bare-footed so by observing the structure and texture of your feet, I deduce that you wear combat boot with minimal heels. You are Japanese but slightly tanned so there goes with the outdoor activities but at a minimal amount most likely due to job requirement. Your shoulders is tensed and straightened the whole time and most likely constantly even back at _your world_ showing the signs of constant stress even at home. Given that your father is dead, it would be natural to assume that you carried the burden of the family too. You were able to handle yourself and think this morning despite the situation thrust upon you without trembling, not to mention the dark circle under your eyes that come from at least a month of sleep deprivation suggests that you are conditioned to stress and only people who love stress are able to stay sane with the pressure constantly pressing down. Am I right, Annalise Kurosaki?"

He looked at her right into her eyes to witness the fear and intimidation that should flashed upon her face but was met with intrigue and something else he doesn't know.

"That was brilliant," she said standing up and paced about, "but I do a lot of outdoor field work. The thing is, it's hard for me to get tan and even if I do, it'll most likely go off in a few weeks."

"There's always something I miss!"

"Still brilliant. I never knew that it was possible until I see it with my very own eye. I do hope that I can outlive you. Could you sign a contract with me agreeing to donate your brain when you die one day? I would love to take a look at it." When she turned and looked at Sherlock, she was awarded with that peculiar look Sherlock has when he finds something… interesting.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly walking towards the bookshelf.

"Can I borrow one?" asked Anna, "I'll put it back to where it belongs."

"Hm." She turned towards the bookshelves and examined every book on the shelves. It was of so many different fields and she noticed the pattern he arranged it in; according to field and each book is lined to the other in one way or the other. She sneaked a peek at the older man, _"Sherlock Holmes, you are one funny man."_

Sherlock did not know how long it has passed when he looked up from his microscope to find the girl sleeping on the settee with her legs pulled up to her chest. The book she was reading was placed on the coffee table with a piece of paper jutting out which he assume as a temporary bookmark. Sherlock quietly stood up and walked towards her. He noticed she was slightly shivering; he felt the coldness when he touched her hands lightly. He huffed and picked up a thinker blanket in his room to shield her from the chill. Once the blanket was over her, he could see that she tucked the blanket closer and snuggled deeper into the couch. He crouched down and study her face closely, _"I supposed she could pass for having exotic features."_ Shaking the foreign thoughts off, he went back to his mini lab.

I can't say that I am a light sleeper but for some reason, the sound of any ringtone would wake me up like pouring ice water on my face. I nearly jumped out of the couch when the bell rung. I did not know how long I fell asleep on the couch but the first thing I did was stumbled out of the couch and attempted to answer the door. Keyword: attempted because with a terrible eye sight and klutzy nature it's really not a wonder that I tripped on the coffee table and fell on my face.

Before I could even groan, a loud laughter erupted from the kitchen. I lifted up my head to find the one and only Sherlock Holmes laughing while clutching at his stomach. It was nice to see him laugh like that and couldn't help but to join in the laughing from the floor. His laughter died down and being raised as a gentleman albeit a highly functioning sociopathic one, he helped me up.

"Ouff… bad for the head," I said in between laughter. He helped me steadied myself, "Thanks." He was startled for a while and the first thing that clicked into my mind was _that_. I quickly blew a long breath into my hands and smell it; nope, no bad breath.

"Eherm," coughed a voice from the door. Both of us who were standing quite close to each other took a step away and saw a blonde woman with a phone one hand and at least 6 bags on the other.

"From Mr Mycroft Holmes to Ms Annalise Kurosaki," she said curtly. I walked to her, "Thank you." I looked into the bag when she remain there and found jeans, shirts, coats and some sweaters in some bags. Other bags have a sling bag, another box with what I assume, wallet, toiletries and shoes and…. lingerie, lacy lingerie. I blushed at the sight and caught the woman's lips pulled up.

Then I found my lifesaver. I quickly pull it out and put on the glasses, "No more pixelated figure!" It was a rimless glasses with black sides; simple and elegant.

"One more thing," she said pulling a card and a phone out of her handbag. I took and she informed me, "Credit card for your expenditure during your stay here. Phone for communication purposes, untraceable so Mr Holmes would be able to contact you directly."

"Thank you very much…?"

"Anthea," she said. Although I could not detect the sign of lie but the way she said it showed that it was well-rehearsed and lack of… attachment. I am a firm believer that a normal functioning individual, although having a low self-esteem, would develop a certain attachment to their name and at some certain degree, fit into the picture of the name given to them.

"Not your real name?" I asked. She only shook her head and walked away.

I squatted down and examined the things Mycroft or his underlings bought, "Hm… I wonder if he knows my preferences," I muttered more to myself.

"I gave him some advice about it judging from your pyjamas," said Sherlock bending down with his head very close to mine.

"Show off," I said teasingly with a little more affection than I'm comfortable to let on. I hope he didn't catch on it.

"That's what I do," he replied smugly walking back to his mini lab. I saw the book that left on the coffee table before I fell asleep; picking it up and put it back to its original position on the shelves before packing up the supplies Mycroft gave me.

"Where can I put this?" I asked standing up.

"My room. Just leave it wherever you want," he said not looking my way.

"Okay," I replied shortly and walked towards his room. Before I disappear from his sight he said out of the sudden, "You didn't have bad breath."

"Oh… okay." When I was out of his sight, I smelled my pyjamas, "No, I don't stink either." Still, I think I really should clean myself up a little. I reorganized the clothes and picked up a white long sleeved shirt, navy blue cardigan and grey skinny jeans. I reluctantly took the least lacy matching underwear with towel before going into the showers.

Feeling refreshed after a short shower, I dried my hair with the towel and picked up my pyjamas and did the laundry; which of course include Sherlock's and John's. Looking at my new temporary flatmate being so engrossed with his work, I decided not to bother him but went down and look for Mrs Hudson.

She was very nice and sympathetic but I was not really in the mood to go there. I brushed her off and ask if there's anything I should know about living in this flat.

"Well, there's nothing much to pay attention too. I believe you've seen thing Sherlock keep when you were cooking breakfast. Well, although I keep telling the boys that I'm not their housekeeper but you can't really trust those two with chores now, can I? And I know Sherlock can be a bit difficult to live with but John is really nice and kind."

"Well Mrs Hudson, if you and those boys don't mind, I can help with keeping the flat clean. I mean, I think I'll be here for quite a while before I can leave. And Sherlock is really not that bad, he has his quirks but I'll get used to it," I said smiling at Mrs Hudson. I can hear the affection laced in her words and thought, _"Mrs Hudson is truly a blessing to both of them."_

"By the way Mrs Hudson, do you know if there's any library nearby where I borrow some book?"

"There's one, Marylebone Library about 7 minutes' walk from here. I draw you a map if you want."

"That would be wonderful. Thank you Mrs Hudson."

I thanked the old lovely lady when she gave me the hand-drawn map on a piece of paper with verbal direction on getting there. I went upstairs and informed Sherlock, "Mr Holmes, I'll be going out to the library for a while."

"Hm," he replied. In a way I was disappointment for the lack of response compare to what I have anticipated; but I was also grateful that he did not treat me like a kid who needed protection at all times, even better a damsel in distress.

I went back into the room and took out a black knee-length hooded coat to prepare to walk in the cold street of London. I also found a grey scarf of similar shades with my eyes. I took out the brown sling bag, tucked in the wallet prepared with my ID and some cash. I put on my socks and the combat boots Mycroft graciously bought (which I am sure he got tipped off by Sherlock). I was surprised when he was also prepared to go out.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

'With you," he said as if it's the most obvious answer in the world.

"It's alright you know. I've got directions from Mrs Hudson and I can perfectly defend myself in harmful situations."

"You're my guest and new in London. I'm coming with you," he said with a final tone.

I huffed out a heavy breath and walked over to him, "Thank you… and we're walking there."

"Fine by me."

The walk there was awkward at first; well, I was trying to start up a conversation but we fell into a silent as our footsteps slowly synchronized. I watched the people walking in London streets and try remembering shops or places that would be useful. When we reached the library, we went to the science section; I gather information and Sherlock… I think he was looking around.

I picked up some books about time dimensions and object relativity, Big Bang Theory, quantum mechanics and universal wavefunction. Looking through the shelves, there was one book that caught my attention. Since it was at least 2 feet above my head, I took the ladder nearby and brought it to the shelves.

Sherlock's attention was once again diverted to the girl when she went to get a ladder. For the past 30 minutes, each time she reached out to get books or tried balancing the books on her hand, he would watch her just in case she topple the book or even better, fall again. Sherlock didn't know why or what is it about this girl that made him feel disturbed. He didn't like this new sensation but decided to tolerate it since this girl became his responsibility the moment she appeared in his room, on his bed.

She put the books she had in her hands on the empty space of the shelf and climbed up the ladder slowly. From the way she climbed up and the obvious anxiousness, he deduced that she has height issue, too little information to conclude that she is acrophobia. When she reached the level she wanted to take the book, one hand held onto the ladder tightly while the other reached out to take the book. With the book save in her hands, she began the painstakingly slow journey down the ladder. It was the fourth step from below that she slipped. She made a quiet squeal that Sherlock thought to sound like a mouse got caught but did not fall as her other hand grabbed the ladder in time with the book safely pinned between her and the ladder.

She let out a breath she had been holding and laughed softly out of embarrassment. She then looked around to see if someone caught her in her clumsy moment. She laughed again when she saw no one but little does she know that Sherlock saw it all. Sherlock held back a smile when he caught her being a klutz again; for now, he finds her… different, not quite like the people he met; who in the right mind would laugh after nearly falling down from quite a height? He walked over to her and took the books she picked earlier, "We're going."

Anna was startled by Sherlock's sudden presence behind her, "Oh my Sherlock!" she exclaimed holding down her fast-paced heart.

"Do you have to scare me like this?" she asked rhetorically. "You have a natural talent at being a klutz. I believe you'll earn another bruise on your arm later on," commented Sherlock walking away with her books leaving her to catch up with him. When he thought she wasn't watching, he let a smirk grace his feature.

That night, after the dinner Mrs Hudson and Anna prepared, the latter dragged both the men and put them down on to their own couches before she took a seat on the floor and look at both of them.

"Look, I believe today has started in a very unsuspecting way. I want to thank you for all that both of you have done, you know allowing me to stay and all that."

"Cut the chase, Ms Kurosaki," said Sherlock getting bored.

"Sherlock!" reprimanded John.

"It's okay. I just thought that I should go through with the formalities first." Anna took a deep breath and jump into the main topic, "From now onwards, let's operate under the assumption that I am from a parallel world or an alternate universe of that sort. I knew the life story of both of you, well at least half of it. Both of you and everyone I met so far look exactly the same as depicted on the tv, or telly for you boys. So it is safe to assume that what goes in the fiction goes here too, maybe minor changes."

"So you're telling us that you know everything about us; our past, present and future?" asked John to reconfirm what he had just heard.

"Well, not all of it but I guess most of it," informed Theresa.

"So you see my presence here with knowledge about the future may change the course of history. History can be rewritten and one small change in a point in time may snowball into major changes in the future, you know like butterfly effect."

"It is under the assumption that your presence is significant enough to make any changes," added in Sherlock.

"Sherlock!" reprimanded John for the second time since the conversation started.

"It is extremely flattering of you Mr Holmes but you of all people should understand that we don't exist in the world as an independent being. We are connected to others, our actions influences situations and actions of others. We live in a network where one ripple at a node will cause another ripple," said Anna trying to assert her point but of course how could she not add in some sarcasm and perhaps a little mocking tone in there. After all, she does not need to take these shits from the arse; nobody deserves to take it for the matter.

"The plus side to this situation is that I don't know much but most probably 6 to 7 cases only depending on how you define a case. The downside however, these cases are the big cases that Mr Holmes had been or would be terribly excited about."

"So you want to know where you stand in the timeline?" asked John.

"I checked your blog John and found that you've just finished The Blind Banker. I just thought it'll only be right if I give both of you a heads up. I'm not giving you any spoilers but I need you guys to know that there's a risk of keeping me here."

"I already anticipated that," said Sherlock calmly.

"And you're willing to take the risk? Well, I don't think I should try to change the course of history. I'm not God and I do not want to even try to be one. Both of you should know that danger lurks around you guys and in the midst of it, lives are lost and people are hurt. Everything happens for a reason and I will try my best not to interfere with anything.

"You said lives are lost… is it because of what we will do?" asked John strained and Anna can sense the fear in his voice.

"No but you have enemies and they will stop at nothing to bring both of you down," she answered without giving out much information. Knowing more that they should might trigger some chained-reaction that may backfire.

Both Sherlock and John were quiet; John staring into space while Sherlock staring piercingly at Anna. When the silence continued 10 minutes later, Anna decided that continuing this conversation would be fruitless.

"I can't tell you more than I let on but let me assure you, I mean no harm," said Anna shifting her glances from John to Sherlock. She stood up to head to the kitchen muttering, "That said, I won't be staying long enough to do anything much but you know I thought I should inform you guys about it."

"From the looks of it, the chances of you returning would be zero," commented Sherlock off-handedly. That earned a glare from John and the sound of spoon dropping from the kitchen.

"Don't… don't be ridiculous. I've made my way here, I can make my way back too," she said voice starting to waver.

"Mycroft and his agents…" started Sherlock. John attempted to cut him off, "Sherlock!" but failed terribly at it, "… are at their wits end, the last I was informed. With the amount of elite, though not as good as I am, on the team and they found nothing, you might as well give up and…," Sherlock was cut off by her.

"Give up! I never knew the meaning of giving up, not even when God abandoned me, not even when I lost both my parents on the same day leaving me with two children to take care of! And I am definitely not going to learn it now," said Anna raising her voice and eyes reddening with tears threatening to break out.

Realizing that she had reacted badly, she winced and rubbed her temple, "I… you know what, it's nothing," she said putting down whatever she was doing in the kitchen and walked towards her coat hurriedly.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have reacted this way," she apologized quietly before rushing out of the flat with her coat and scarf.

When she was gone indicated by the slamming of the door, John glared at Sherlock, "What?"

"Do you have to be so insensitive?" commented John exasperatedly.

"I'm merely relaying facts that she should know."

"Sherlock…," John sighed, "one more powerful emotion than fear is hope. The moment she realized that she was at a different world and has no means to get back immediately, the only thing that kept her calm and sane was hope. You didn't have to deal with sobs and wails and whining because she was strong enough to keep that small little hope that she will be able to return to her family. And now you've got to extinguish it!"

John grabbed his coat and headed for the door. "Where are you going?" asked Sherlock.

"Find her of course."

It took John an hour to find for her and it was a mugger with bloodied forehead running away shouting, "Crazy woman flinging her stick like a madman." John was went ahead and check just in case it was the girl she was looking for. He found her in the park swinging the stick like a sword while hitting the tree trunk. She appeared to be unharmed so he stood at a side quietly to wait for her to calm down.

I channelled all my frustration to the poor trunk and branch. I know that my palms would be filled with scratches later but I really could careless now. I tried to contain my tears and pay attention to my swing but my effort was to avail. I can't get the words Sherlock said out of my head. I slumped down in the ground and brought my legs up to my chest. I was glad that I chose this quiet and dark park despite having a mugger trying to rob me just now. Tears were slowly flowing down my cheek as I swallowed the sobs coming out of my mouth.

"Anna," said a familiar voice from behind me. I was startled but I didn't turn because I know who exactly it was. He sat beside me and said, "It's okay. You can cry all you want. No one is going to judge you."

That broke the last restrain; everything came crashing down and pushing my heart out of me as I cried into my knees. "John, I need to get back. They are all I have." I could feel his hands rubbing my back gently and it reminded me of my best friend who used to console me at the worst time of my life.

"They need me, John. Dad's gone and I was left to take care of mom and sis. It took mom one whole year before she started living life a normal person again, John. She nearly killed herself when dad left. I don't know what happened to my existence in the other world. What if I just disappear? Or I'm dead? How would they take it? Mom can't take another death of her family and sis will be left with no one to hold her." He pulled me to his side and I leaned my head against the crook of his neck, "Everything will be alright."

"What if it doesn't? My best friend finally got out of her slump and found the man who would love her whole-heartedly. I promised that I would be there for her wedding. I want to be there for them." John stayed silence and let me cry and I did just that; I let those pain, misery and hopelessness drain out of my system. I knew that my reaction the entire day was not normal; I knew this would come but I expected it to be a little later.

Slowly, my tears subsided. I told John calmly, "I wish that my existence there will be erased. Then they do not have to go through the pain of losing someone dear to them. I wish they would forget, John, forget everything about me."

"That wouldn't do, would it? What happened if you go back and they forgot about you?"

"Sherlock's right you know. If Mycroft has a lead, he would have informed one of us by now. Plus, erasing the pain of three people for one; I would say it's a good bargain, isn't it?" I joked darkly.

"No, it isn't. And I'm sure that there are more people who cared about you."

"I wonder, John. I wonder."

Suddenly, a voice cleared his throat and we were both startled. Out came a figure from the back of another tree to reveal Sherlock looking… well like usual.

"Sorry," he offered. I was surprised by his apology but accepted it none the less.

"We should go back and get your hands treated," he said looking at both my hands. John took it and examined and we both look at Sherlock, _"How did he know?"_

It was as if he read my mind, "Mycroft has a tracker in your phone which is in your coat. I called him to ask for your location hence arriving much earlier than John."

Sigh. What do I expect from the Holmes brothers…?


End file.
